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The History of Mandalay
This article talks about Mandalay's long, winding history. It is divided into six major categories; The Formative Years, The Lost Age, and Ages One through Four. The Formative Years The world known today as Mandalay started out as a much simpler celestial body than it is now. Mandalay, then known to deities and the like as "Tartaraus" - A word for hellish prison - stood in the void of space, locked forever in the black between stars. It was little more than a prison of enchanted, blessed adamantine, cold iron, and silver wrapped in a sizable asteroid that held the most ancient of evils trapped within - KaelKarum, the OverGod of destruction. Eventually, the gods decided that rather than risk misplacing the overgod, they would be better off creating a planet of life and love around it, so as to better control the malevolent influences contained within. The Corvus system was thus created, a genesis of light and heat formed of nothing by the gods; what better place to hide an ancient evil, than within a world lovingly crafted by the gods? Mandalay as a planet is a little over 6 billion years old; about a third again as old as the Earth. The majority of that time, much like our Earth, was spent developing, cooling, and becoming properly habitable for life. Life took quite a long time for Mandalay to develop largely in part because of KaelKarum, whose terrible influence and presence gave the other deities pause when it came time to establish what species, if any, should thrive there. Before a decision could be reached, they discovered that an alien form of life from the dawn of all, before even the gods, had set up shop in the expansive oceans; The Aboleths, ancient and calculating, had become the first creatures to exist on Mandalay. Other species would soon inhabit this infant world throughout time, such as the Fey and the Ssithra, but none would rise up to claim the level of civilization as the Shassir. Their stories tell of a cataclysmic battle, when the mammal races were still foundlings, that involved an elven creature and an enormous locust. They formed quite a tale, woven into tapestries and creation myths, most of which was lost to time, around this catastrophic event. The elf who destroyed the locust came to be known as the "Mylnir". The Lost Age (Approx. 1,000 years; LA0-LA999) This Era refers to the thousand years prior to the First Age, of which most literature is fragmented or lost. The period before this, known as the Formative Years, is exponentially larger; the Formative Years were several billion years long, where this age is only roughly one thousand. It is during this Lost Age that the mainstays of civilization crept into existence to join the Shassir (serpentfolk); The Humans of Talana, The Elves of Gwynn, The Dwarves of Narthal, and the Skarn of Razathar, though none of these continents yet had names. The Serpent Wars The early years of Mandalay civilization were fraught with conflict, from what the records do show. One of the most notable conflicts was the war between the "Mammal" races; Humans, Elves, Dwarves, etc. and the Shassir Empire, the sprawling province of the Serpentfolk. Gifted with tremendous magic ability and military prowess, the Shassir empire had controlled much of the known corners of Mandalay for a long time. The exact amount is lost, but it is theorized that they could have held an empire for several thousand years into the Formative Era, prior to the war. The Serpent Wars concluded with the death of their queen in a small Warcamp on what would eventually be known as Razathar. The Empire fell apart rapidly with the organized counterstrike performed by the Human forces, led by a group of the first "Adventurers" and heroes; Talana, a human woman with incredible skill with a sword, Gwynn, an elven woman with unparalleled magical talent, Narthal, a Dwarf with unprecedented battle prowess and healing ability, and Razathar, a Skarn who was spoken to by Danaris in a dream, and took up the mantle of Paladin. The Founding Early in the Lost Age, the underlining structure of civilization had begun to take shape. After the Serpent Wars, the races of Mandalay that triumphed gathered together to form civilization as it is known even now. The Dwarves took up their home high in the cold hills and named it Narthal, with their home city of Narthalas. They were the first, and arguably richest, of the civilizations. The Elves took Gwynn, or as much as they could, from the Orcs and named their capital Gwynnithe. The Humans suffered the most loss at the hands of the Shassir, but their adaptability and proud nature quickly made them the cornerstone of society on the continent of Talana, under their capital of Talana's last name, Thaselon. And the island nation of Razathar was born by the Skarn, though the wild beasts that inhabited it made it a dangerous locale of many fighting factions for many years to come. It was the least communicative during the Founding. The First Age 1000-1999 The first thousand years of Mandalay's history consisted largely of the building of empires. Wars were actively avoided, though especially in Razathar's case, it was not a guarantee. During this time, the world came to uncover the art of the Shassir's magic. At once, wizardly academics rocketed to the forefront, focused largely on improving the quality of life of these fledgling civilizations. The world had finally cooled down politically; attention could be focused inward at last, to discern the true nature of their world. This is the first recorded era in which the moons were mapped and the Calendar was made; much to the surprise of the scholars, the timing was already perfected, though no Shassir document laid claim to it. No records exist of how or why the moons of Mandalay are so perfectly attuned and synchronized. The Arrival of Graz'zt (1224) It is during this time that, despite the political cool down, powers far greater and far more terrible than the Shassir turned their attention to the world; namely, the Demonlords who had slumbered in the Abyss for so many millennia, as well as Zedek the Black, the first NightShade. It is said that Graz'zt, a Demonlord of immense fame in the outer realms, bestowed upon Mandalay a Black Gauntlet filled with his power. The Second Age 2000-2999 The second age of Mandalay consisted largely of territorial disputes, and the founding of other countries, such as the Kharbuzir Mountains and the Pale Wastes. The Tarrasque Appears (2260) It was in 2260 that the first major cataclysm befell Mandalay's unwitting populace. The Elves of Gwynn and the DeathTusk Orcs had held a lengthy, twenty year battle when they met in the field of war one more time, over an enormous gorge. It is said that during the battle, a single orc was slain by an elven arrow, and fell to the bottom of the ravine. When the corpse hit the bottom, it awoke something truly monstrous; this creature, which ravaged the continent and drove the DeathTusk Orcs nearly to extinction, was known forevermore as the Tarrasque; an Orcish word for The Destroyer. The First Lich is Born (2673) In 2673, a powerful human wizard named Tyranir had obsessed over immortality for his entire life. Through the study of Shassir magics and consultations from profane demons and demigods, he had unlocked the first true method of willful unlife; Lichdom. He reigned his own pocket of Mandalay for millennia onwards, though it is said that over time he not only grew mad, but devastatingly bored with the whole affair. The Black Hand is Founded (2834) In 2834, the first creature to ever crawl from the Umbral Chasms of the Midnight Inbetween known only as Zedek the Black, landed upon Mandalay. His goal was singular; blot out the stars, starting with Mandalay's Sun. He and his powerful Nightshades came from a time before Mandalay's creation, and sought nothing but the total midnight of their homeworld to consume all others. His arrival was squandered when, shortly after, he was imprisoned in something known as the Aeternus Tomb. The Third Age 3000-3999 The Third Age is when the peoples of the world decided enough was enough, and began to work together, opening trade and commerce and uniting as the people of Mandalay. Day of the Nine (3002) JihHerd 9th, 3002, also known as the day of the Nine, is the day that the Nine most powerful wizards of Mandalay banded together, under the leadership of Ardis Lightfoot, and declared a Magocracy over the Four Great Nations. Those who held the magical influence held the political power, and could veto any and all political action by vote regardless of country. This was met with some resistance from the Dwarves and the many races of Razathar at first, but through trial and error, it was found that the just and kind leadership of Ardis Lightfoot far outweighed the cons of answering to a third party. The White Wand of Molaes (3134) In 3134, the Gauntlet of Graz'zt had fallen into different hands through the ages, and wrought all sorts of demonic destruction. As an answer to this, the Goddess of the sun plucked but a single gleaming white hair from her head and let it fall upon Mandalay, where it became a Wand of unparalleled healing power. A Church was built around the protection and stewardship of such a mighty artifact; the Church of the Wand. Though a subsection of Molaes' faith, the church's primary goal was to find worthy heroes to which they could entrust the wand to, the better to battle the forces of Graz'zt's cruelty, not with violence, but with benevolent healing. = The Four Great Nations Rise After the day of the Nine, all the four nations (Narthalas, Gwynnithe, Thaselon, and Blackmarsh) began to thrive, as the increased magical protection and guidance proved to be superior to the bickering and discrimination the many races were prone to. This relative peace was maintained from 3002 to 3689, where it began to diminish in strength following the upsets with Ardis Lightfoot. The Orbs of Dragonkind are Forged (3320) A Protean by the name of Desparus turns his gaze upon Mandalay, trapping all but one of each color of dragon inside mystical orbs. He does this through the use of an ancient Protean weapon called the Chaos Sphere. The Corpse Forest (3684) In 3684, a calamitous event took place in the forests that housed Ardis' stronghold of Lightfoot. Rumors are abound, but legends say a scorned lover forever cursed the woods, and it teems with the ever-present aura of the unliving to this very day. Tales of a witch in white circulate amongst local hunters. The Fourth Age 4000-4999 Easily the most turbulent, the Fourth Age is also widely referred to as the Age of Turmoil, or the Age of Cataclysms. The events that transpired between 4120 and 4280 collectively are often referred to as "The Cataclysms". The Death of Orcus (4096) In 4096, a group of adventurers and misfits were taken under the wing by the unnaturally old Ardis Lightfoot. They encountered the Black Hand, an organization of undead dedicated to blotting out the sun, when they attempted to bring the Demon Prince of Undead, Orcus, to Mandalay. There was a titanic battle, during which Orcus was slain, seemingly permanently. The First Fall of Thaselon (4096) Near the end of 4096, that same group of misfits confronted the Black Hand over Thaselon, preventing a controlled attack from the Tarrasque and scattering the Black Hand's forces. Despite their efforts Thaselon was still lost; it took ten years for them to rebuild it completely. Rise of the Silver Shield (4097) LaxHerd 13th, 4097 marked the beginning of the Silver Shield, an organization named after the great Dragon Narenathul. Dexn Canard, Grayguard of Molaes, was the first official leader of the organization, and laid down many of the tenets of the organization still observed today. The organization would persist through much of the fourth age, despite nearly being wiped out in 4123. Takraet Discovered (4100) The RingWorld left behind by the Natrathians has a portal on Mandalay, and it is discovered by the Silver Shield. The interdimensional travel attracts the attention of the Daedrinar, a species of space-faring Psionic Aberrations who often warred with the Natrathians. The Daedrinar Invasion (4101) The Daedrinar make use of an ancient Protean Artifact called the Chaos Sphere to push their full armada from Takraet to Mandalay, orchestrating a full scale invasion. The invasion was quickly thwarted, as the Silver Shield arrived and shattered the Chaos Sphere into fragments, decimating the Daedribar forces, forcing Zedek back to the Negative Energy Plane and sending their allies, the Black Hand, into disarray. The Daedrinar who survived fled to the Underdark. The Death of Ardis Lightfoot (4103) The scattered remains of the Black Hand are united under the leadership of Mikael, a necromancer of tremendous power and ambition. He acquires the Gauntlet of Graz'zt and launches a concerted attack on Talana. Ardis Lightfoot rises to defend Thaselon, but is ultimately slain in battle, where he promptly ascended to Godhood as a major Deity. Rise of the Serpent Riders (4110) The Chaos Sphere is rebuilt, and Desparus along with his two brothers begin their plan to take the planet. Desparus begins by hunting down the remaining dragons, his brother Koraxis launches all-out war on the Southern settlements of Narthal, and Eidolon, the eldest and most powerful of the three, usurped and replaced the King of Blackmarsh, ruling from the shadows. Systematically, they are taken down by the Silver Shield, culminating with the Civil War of Blackmarsh and Eidolon's death. The Chaos Sphere was once again splintered during the conflict. The Second Fall of Thaselon (4118) A powerful necromancer by the name of Mikael Taruso, a mysterious man of unclear origin, rises to power using a previously unfelt magic to inflict devestating amounts of damage. Utilizing Krel, a form of anti-magic, he summons forth a Volcano from beneath Thaselon, effectively wiping the city off the map. Mikael acquires support and funding from veteran Black Hand agents. The Gauntlet Wars (4120-4122) Mikael Taruso acquires the Gauntlet of Graz'zt. A lengthy war unfolds between his organization, Gauntlet, and the Silver Shield, during which Talana experiences a mass exodus. The severity and scope of the war was so intense that millions of citizens fled Talana for Razathar or Gwynn as refugees, emptying Thaselon's ruins and Yanthyr after the second fall. The war culminates with a battle just South of Corpse Forest, in which the Silver Shield, led by Lizalfos, slew Mikael. Tetchiklonoc Rises (4122) After a titanic struggle with Mikael, the Silver Shield are able to kill him. Mikael turned out to be the last Nyssian Vessel, holding the forgotten Nyssaor Tetchiklonoc. Mikael's death was an inevitability in his own plan to unleash the Nyssaor. over the course of a year, natural disasters saw a staggering uptick, until at last the WorldWound was opened. The WorldWound Opens (4123) The Nyssaor Tetchiklonoc acquires enough power to rip open the crust of Mandalay, siphoning power from Kael'Karum himself through the fissure and exponentially increasing his power. Nyssians of every shape and size, the fissure finally allowing the plane of Karum to bleed into the cosmos. The Last Stand of the Silver Shield (4123) Several airships flying the Shield's banner arrive at the WorldWound, and a horrific battle ensued. Many lives were lost trying to quell the Nyssaor, including the majority of Silver Shield leadership. Tetchiklonoc was weakened, but after the dust had settled, he had not been killed, and the Silver Shield was scattered. The Cataclysms (4123) Unchallenged, Tetchiklonoc channeled the unfettered energy of the UnderGod to reconstitute the slain Nyssaor of ages past, fulfilling his ancient prophecy and restoring the Nyssian scourge. Once the Patriarch was resurrected, Mandalay was rocked by a multitude of asteroid impacts and tectonic shifts, resulting in the sinking of Thaselon and most of Talana, the segregation of Gwynn, and the rifts of Kharbuzir. Rise of the Descendant (4123) During this time, the Descendant of the enigmatic Mylnir finally awoke her potential. Using her powers as a Natrathian and wielding the weapon of her birthright, her and a select few of her closest friends travelled Mandalay, snuffing out each reborn Nyssaor in turn.